Are you a Buttlerfly?

Have you heard of the Butterfly Effect? It is based on the theory that a small change in one place can result in large differences in another. An example would be when a butterfly flaps its wings in Colorado, a hurricane happens in Miami.The name of the effect, coined by Edward Lorenz, is derived from the theoretical example of a hurricane's formation being contingent on whether or not a distant butterfly had flapped its wings several weeks earlier.

The following is a story about Susan and Tom and how the butterfly effect came into play in a positive way.

Susan got off to a late start one morning and still had to pick up donuts on the way to work. Her boss had called a big staff meeting with the president of the company in attendance and he wanted to make a good impression. Susan was stressed as she rushed around the grocery store picking out the donuts; she was anxious to get out of there quickly. But when she got to the check out line, of course only one lane was open and in front of her was Tom with a full cart of groceries. Susan thought, “Dang, I’m going to be late!” But Tom’s a nice guy and upon seeing that Susan looked a little harried, he graciously agreed to let her go first.

With that, Susan was able to get to the office in plenty of time. She got the coffee going, arranged the donuts nicely on a tray, and made sure her boss, Bill, got the crème-filled one he really liked; the meeting went off without a hitch. So now Susan’s boss was happy, he made a good impression on the company president, and it was a good day all around.

That afternoon Bill got a call from Joe, a customer. They had been involved in a dispute over some equipment for quite some time. Well, Bill was in such a good mood he was willing to work with Joe and they came to an amicable agreement. Now Joe was happy.

A couple hours later Joe, who happened to work in the poultry business, got a call from the food bank. They were really short on turkeys for their Thanksgiving baskets that year. Could Joe help them out? He was feeling generous because he was able to work things out with his supplier and said, “Sure. How many do you need?”

Now the food bank had plenty of turkeys to fill their Thanksgiving baskets. They put in a call to Mary, one of their clients. Mary had been worrying about Thanksgiving. She had been laid off from her job six months prior and was unable to find work; with a family of three children it had been difficult for Mary to put food on the table. Mary knew there wasn’t anything in her pantry for Thanksgiving dinner. Now Mary had a turkey and a big basket with all the fixings.

So there it was. Tom, our little butterfly, with his single act of kindness to Susan that morning, just put Thanksgiving dinner on the table for Mary!

A simple story but it demonstrates how we are all like a butterfly. Every day we touch people in multiple ways. Most of the time, we have no idea what kind of impact we have. But the power of ONE is an incredible force and when we recognize our connection to each other, it becomes second nature to flap our wings in a manner that brings about the highest good for all, including ourselves. For that which we do unto others, we do unto ourselves.

It makes one think. What is the energy we are emitting? What kind of world are we creating with our thoughts, words, and deeds? I love this definition of the word Universe: uni, meaning One; verse, meaning Song. One Song! Imagine for a moment that we are just one note in a giant symphony called life . . . one tiny note in this composition. No matter how we separate into individual little notes, we are still involved in the One Song. Through our collective energy we are composing a symphony; let’s make it a beautiful one.

Flap your beautiful wings today,

Donna

Excerpted from I'll Meet You at the Base of the Mountain by Donna Visocky

Recent Blog Entries

Red Wing Blackbirds, Blue Herons and Messages from Nature

I awake to sunshine, surprised that my body, somehow knowing that I had no agenda this morning, no time clock to punch, had decided to sleep past its normal 4:00 a.m. rise time. As I prepare for my morning run…

Creating a New Earth

You have been here before, a part of the circle of life on this planet earth for eons and eons. You are the players, the game changers, the creators. You have seen and experienced much, yet you still return, for there is nowhere else in the Universe such as this. Some may call it a game, and that it true. Others call it Earth School – also true. It is but one of many opportunities for a soul to grow and evolve. There are rules to this game, instructions for this school, in this particular time-space continuum, that are different from those of others. Just as earth games such as Monopoly or Trivia Pursuit have their own set of rules such is true for the Game of Life on Earth. You came here for the excitement, the thrill, the adventure and the pure joy of physicality.

Ask and You Shall Receive

I have often said that my grandchildren are my greatest teachers. That was never so true as last fall when I realized my grandson Drew was showing me how the world works once again. “Nana,” Drew says in his phone…

Love, the Greatest Gift of All

Have you ever noticed how much stuff we have? Gadgets for this and tools for that, clothes we don’t even wear, the latest toys that sit unplayed with, and big houses filled with more stuff. We are jealous of other…

You Will Survive

You will survive.... My message to anyone who has lost a loved one, especially a child. I have to admit, when someone told me that same thing after my daughter Kristi died, I didn't believe them. I did not want to live any longer on this Earth without my daughter. I wanted to leave. I didn't care about life, I wanted to be with my daughter. The thought of living another 30+ years was excruciatingly painful. Yet here I am, 12 years later and yes, I have survived. Was it a long hard road? Yes. But somewhere along the way, about a year ago, I decided I wanted to live. I remember the moment, the thought came to me loud and clear "I want to live!"

Today I am the creator of me

I choose that my thoughts, my words and my deeds reflect only my higher self and not my ego.

I remember who I am, a Divine Spark of God.

I walk in my essence of God.

These words set my intention for the day, creating an energy that helps me to balance the ups and downs and the challenges that life throws at me, keeping me on a steady course. And when I am mindful, and can maintain that energy, wow, what a difference it makes in my day and my life.

Honoring Our Daughter by Creating Change

With this issue, we want to honor our daughter Kristi who died twelve years ago in an auto accident. She was the catalyst that started us on this soul journey and brought so much light into our lives. As we look back on the past twelve years, we marvel at where we were and at where we have come to be. The journey is not yet finished, but there is more joy in our hearts and we are confidently moving forward, knowing that Kristi is guiding us and smiling down on us always.

From the very beginning we have honored Kristi’s passing by hosting the Kristi Visocky Memorial Golf Tournament, the largest golf tournament in Northern Colorado, and Kristi’s Big Night Out event. (The absolute best party of the summer!) Since its inception in 2003, with the help and support of an amazing community, the Foundation has awarded $200,000 in scholarships to 90 area young women, $100,000 to build a house for Habitat for Humanity and over $100,000 in support to area organizations.

What makes you happy?

Recently I was stopped by a train in Longmont, CO. As I was sitting there waiting to proceed, I noticed a building on the right, an old factory-type place with a sign that said Cheese Importers. Having an hour to…

You’re Not Here to Be Perfect

I was having one of those days. You know, the kind of day where you do something really stupid and then beat yourself up over it for several days after. Well here I was, well into day two of flogging myself – you know how it works, you start dredging up past wrongs, one after another, months and then years’ worth, and heap those on top of the current wrong you did. Pretty soon you’ve got a pile of boulders on your back and you’re walking around all hunched over and angry. Mad at yourself for being so stupid, seeing yourself as a total screw up, over and over and over.

So there I was lying awake at 4:00 a.m. wallowing in my self-pity about what a poor excuse for a person I was. What was interesting was that the stupid thing I did wasn’t even that big, it was just something I wished I could take back. I was half-awake/half asleep when I heard the voice.

It’s a New Operating System So Dream Big!

I recently got a new computer, it has the new operating system Windows 8. A big change from my old system; completely different, totally unfamiliar and driving me crazy. It’s not intuitive to me and to say that I struggle…